This invention relates to fluid control and dispenser apparatus. The invention has particular application to the dispensing of liquid from a container, for example, a plastic jug or bottle. The principles of the invention, however, are applicable to the dispensing of fluids generally.
It is well known to incorporate dispensing spigots, spouts and the like on liquid containers, for example the widely employed jugs or bottles formed of plastic sheet material.
To promote the efficient dispensing of liquid from such containers a vent allowing the ingress of ambient air into the container is required. Such vent is of course for the purpose of introducing air into the container interior to replace the liquid being dispensed therefrom.
A common practice with such plastic containers has been to punch a hole therein to form a vent. However, this is not wholly satisfactory since leakage can result and the container itself cannot be reused. This is wasteful and environmentally unsound.
Of course, a number of approaches more sophisticated than punching a vent hole into a container have been employed in order to allow air into a container while fluid is exiting therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,157, issued Jul. 20, 1982, for example, discloses a dispenser cap with a dual valve arrangement to allow air into the dispenser through one valve and fluid to exit through another valve. However, the exiting fluid and the inlet air both use the same passageway for egress or ingress. With this arrangement continuous flow of fluid cannot occur. Also, the container must be in an upright position and it must be deformed to allow fluid flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,101, issued Dec. 13, 1983, discloses a dispenser cap with a dispensing opening that allows fluid to exit the container and air to enter the container through the same passage. With this arrangement continuous fluid flow is prevented.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,809, issued Mar. 26, 1985, discloses a dispensing cap with a preloaded annular valve member that acts to allow air back into the container through the same passageway that fluid exits the container. With this arrangement continuous flow of fluid is prohibited.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,891, issued Apr. 30, 1985, discloses a container with a spray nozzle arrangement. The air inlet shown in this patent may possibly leak because the fluid pressure against the check valve diaphragm of the apparatus is not concentrated around the air inlet holes when pressure is applied to the spray bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,781, issued Aug. 1, 1989, discloses a fluid delivery system with an air ingress passageway that is separate from the fluid exit passageway. To allow fluid flow with this patent, the container must be in an upright position. Also, the fluid can exit through the air inlet passageway if the container is inverted. The L-shaped air passageway employed is difficult to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,231, issued Jun. 1, 1993, discloses a bottle with a special exit port that closes when pulled out, preventing fluid flow, and opens when pushed in, allowing fluid flow. An air inlet check valve is provided adjacent to the fluid exit port. The container must be inverted to operate and if the air inlet valve leaks, it will leak in an undesirable location. Furthermore, the cap and bottle are designed to interact with a special bottle cage that will prevent any debris from entering into the air relief valve or the exit port.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,122, issued Dec. 5, 1995, discloses a container cap with an air inlet valve arrangement. The air inlet valves shown do not provide for any means to prevent incoming air from being entrained back into the exiting fluid stream.
The following patents disclose various types of dispensers employed to dispense liquid from plastic containers or the like and are believed to be further representative of the general state of the art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,146, issued Feb. 3, 1970 U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,266, issued May 25, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,242, issued Oct. 23, 1984, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,565, issued Jul. 27, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,455, issued Sep. 28, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,824, issued Mar. 4, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 1,296,341, issued Mar. 4, 1919 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,655, issued Jul. 23, 1991.
The devices shown in the above-identified patents provide no teaching or suggestion of the combination of structural elements disclosed and claimed herein or their cooperative relationship.
The present invention relates to fluid control and dispenser apparatus which provides for the simultaneous dispensing of a fluid and the replenishment of the fluid by ambient air or some other fluid to promote dispensing.
The invention is characterized by its relative simplicity, low cost, and ease and reliability of use. When employing the apparatus, no vent holes need be punched into a container with which the apparatus is associated.
The apparatus includes a dispenser member, the dispenser member defining a dispenser member interior, a fluid inlet, a fluid ingress opening and a fluid egress opening. The fluid inlet, the fluid ingress opening and the fluid egress opening are all spaced from one another and communicate with the dispenser member interior.
A flexible valve member is located in the dispenser member interior adjacent to the fluid ingress opening and is movable between a first position wherein the flexible valve member closes the fluid ingress opening and a second position wherein the flexible valve member is spaced from the fluid ingress opening, opens the fluid ingress opening and allows passage of fluid through the fluid ingress opening into the dispenser member interior. The flexible valve member is positioned between the fluid ingress opening and the fluid egress opening when spaced from the fluid ingress opening for directing fluid passing through the fluid ingress opening into the dispenser member interior away from the fluid egress opening and in the direction of the fluid inlet.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.